Chapter 48: The Labyrinth’s Breakthrough

Sagyeol had fully anticipated this outcome. From the outset, he hadn’t expected persuasion to work. It was enough simply to create a moment of hesitation and hold the hunters in place.

He immediately led his forces into the Labyrinth of the Deluge. There, his actions demonstrably proved his capabilities.

The full-scale subjugation began, and Sagyeol processed most of the acquired magic stones into neutralizers, which he then distributed throughout Grisha.

The young man thus became the most influential and authoritative figure in Grisha. His powerful aura was so intense it eclipsed the very name of the Three Crescent Moons Guild. Everyone in Grisha saw a clear path forward through Sagyeol.

“A new Grisha was built upon the blood and sacrifice of hunters who gave their lives for their loved ones.”

People’s faces darkened, and their hostility towards Choi Chi-taek sharpened visibly. They were recalling their departed friends and comrades.

“Yet, those who abandoned us to save their own skin dare to siphon off Grisha’s magic stones? And for something as vile as drugs?”

“H-how did you know…!”

Choi Chi-taek, having blurted out the words in shock, gasped and fell silent.

Magic stones had diverse applications, but three primary categories dominated demand: neutralizers for mana poisoning, ingredients for hunter-specific drugs, and therapeutic potions.

Potions fetched the highest prices, but their complex and difficult manufacturing process, coupled with a high failure rate, meant the underworld rarely touched them.

Mafia groups disguised as guilds, such as the Whispery Guild in the great city of Cheongwang, invariably preferred drugs. They were cost-effective, selling for exorbitant prices in small quantities, and the profits could fund new, quality goods.

It was glaringly obvious how Grisha would appear in the eyes of such individuals.

“They must have seen it as a fountain endlessly gushing magic stones. Do you think we were unaware? Do you truly believe we tolerated the rats scurrying within Grisha out of laziness or incompetence?”

Choi Chi-taek, belatedly realizing the full scope of the situation, felt his mind go blank. He wasn’t the entire picture; he was merely bait for a larger catch. The shape of the colossal game beneath his feet finally became clear.

Cheongwang, having been siphoning Grisha’s magic stones, grew increasingly greedy and planted him as a stepping stone for their expansion. He was, in turn, the first piece in Grisha’s counter-strategy to eradicate all the ‘rats’ within.

As Sagyeol continued speaking, the atmosphere in the hall grew chillingly cold. A murderous aura festered. All that malice converged into a single point, directed at him. Choi Chi-taek, pale and sweating profusely, found himself utterly unable to move a single finger.

‘It was from the beginning!’

He had been a pawn in their hands from the very start. Upon this realization, all their previous conversations took on an entirely different meaning.

“Do other guilds share the same thoughts…? Well, I suppose so. Then, I’ll contact you after an internal meeting.”

The “internal meeting” was, in fact, to discuss how to dispose of Choi Chi-taek.

“What? Administering justice? …That’s tempting.”

That meant they would destroy him to enact justice.

Tap, tap.

Sagyeol lightly tapped Choi Chi-taek’s shoulder.

“I extend my gratitude. Thanks to you, we could weed out even those who had grown like tumors within.”

“I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m quite busy these days.”

“Understood. I’ll handle it properly, so you have nothing to worry about.”

The Association President nodded. Sagyeol bowed, then turned and exited the hearing room. Countless gazes followed his retreating back.

These gazes were woven with strong respect, faint envy, and various other complex emotions and reasons.

They clung to him, elusive as mercury and tenacious as tar, yet none could halt his stride.

Heading to the rooftop, Sagyeol crossed the H-mark on the ground and approached the edge. He effortlessly leaped onto the railing, which was taller than him. The fierce wind whipped around him, warning of the empty space a step ahead.

Sagyeol took out the goggles and controller he had prepared and put them on. Finally, holding the cube-shaped drone in his hand, all preparations were complete.

“Sir!”

Lee Hyun-su, having belatedly heard of Sagyeol’s actions and chased after him, burst open the rooftop door. He cried out in alarm upon seeing Sagyeol.

“Where are you going?!”

“The Deluge.”

‘No, why there? No, more importantly, alone?!’

“Hey, aren’t you going to stop?!”

Lee Hyun-su abandoned all formalities and reached out. Simultaneously, Sagyeol leaped downwards.

“Please take care of the aftermath.”

“You crazy bastard!”

The mana-infused cube unfolded, transforming into a streamlined drone. The artificial white bird soared through Grisha’s urban jungle of buildings.

Its destination was the dead end of the Labyrinth—the 1.4 km diameter critical point where the poisonous fog wasps resided.

The Black Mist scattered throughout the Deluge stood like a massive wall blocking hunters, but Sagyeol believed its true nature was more akin to a labyrinth than a wall.

From the day the subjugation began until today, countless lives and hopes that had entered the labyrinth became lost, never to return home.

Sagyeol flew rapidly along the labyrinthine paths. It was a mad, life-threatening aerial stunt. There were no boundaries in the sky. Even when flying on the correct path, the drone occasionally stumbled, losing temporary control after touching the mana-ether emanating from the walls.

Normally, the standard approach was to fly at a moderate speed, carefully avoiding contact with the walls. A single accidental brush would mean death by ‘fall from the sky,’ a most embarrassing cause of death for a high-rank hunter.

Yet, he ultimately reached his intended destination through acrobatic flight.

Sagyeol looked down at the massive black mist writhing far below. Just then, the drone, which had barely held on until this point, finally malfunctioned. He released it first as it wobbled and lost power.

Falling downwards, Sagyeol unleashed his full power towards the ground. ‘Full power’ meant precisely that.

CRASH!

A white mountain erupted from the blue Deluge. Dozens of colossal, hexagonal crystal-like ice formations surged upwards in all directions, creating a magnificent crystalline structure. This enormous ice mountain completely covered the domain of the poisonous fog wasps. The countless swarms of wasps were annihilated in a single strike.

The problem arose afterward. A section of the black wall collapsed, and the densely pooled mana-ether spread in all directions. Sagyeol was caught within the storm’s radius.

“Ugh.”

The forcibly disturbed mana-ether sparked and spread, then gradually thinned out. Having completed his task, Sagyeol lay down on the peak of one of the ice crystals. His body was mottled with purple.

It was acute mana poisoning. Though it looked severe, there was no great cause for concern. It meant his mana had successfully pushed the foreign mana-ether out.

He lifted a hand, now bruised, and let out a wry chuckle. It had been a high-stakes gamble, yet a gamble nonetheless. He could have easily died. But his resistance surpassed the mana-ether fog created by the poisonous fog wasps, and he had survived.

His face devoid of expression, he let his arm drop to his side.

‘This time, I was merely fortunate. If I encounter another blocked path, I might not be able to resolve it this way again. Indeed, to venture deeper into the Deluge, a Returnee is essential.’

‘……’

‘But even if Yeowon wasn’t a Returnee, I needed him.’

‘I had come to need him.’

‘Realizing that was a step too late. Just one step, but it was a step too late because he had lost Yeowon.’

Before long, Credit hunters, led by Lee Hyun-su, appeared.

Snow began to fall above their horrified heads. Sagyeol felt strangely detached from the situation, with people shouting loudly and bustling around with serious expressions. Sleet enveloped Sagyeol’s body as he was carried away on an emergency rescue drone.

A barren season was approaching.

Just as the commotion from the airship crash had finally subsided, Grisha was once again thrown into turmoil.

Portal sites were plastered with ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘Sagyeol.’ Articles flooded the internet, reporting how he had annihilated the poisonous fog wasps with a massive ice formation comparable to a small mountain, forcibly clearing the labyrinth and creating a new entry point into the Deluge. Drone photos showed colossal ice crystals soaring as if to pierce the sky.

The tiny hunters flying around them further emphasized their immense scale.

Experts’ reactions were sharply divided.

One side argued: “Never before has there been a hunter with such formidable and abundant power. He is Grisha’s treasure, and moreover, a treasure for all humanity!”

The other side countered: “This guy is insane. Freezing the entire Black Mist range to close the gate? Regardless of whether it’s possible, he gambled with his life. He is a man with many responsibilities. His life is no longer his own. This act deserves condemnation.”

Public opinion sided with the former. The black mist, which had completely blocked the path inward, had tormented every citizen of Grisha. The latter, relegated to a minority opinion, received little support and much criticism.

Sagyeol was hospitalized in a hunter-specific hospital to treat his acute mana poisoning. Normally, he would have chuckled while looking up the criticisms of the latter group, but he remained quiet. He merely stared at Grisha’s downtown area with eyes like embers, still burning in the deep quiet of the ocean.